The Strib ran a story Saturday called “How Old Is Your Body?” It talks about a current trend where people can get a physical fitness assessment that determines the “age” of their body based on its condition rather that just the number of years it has existed. Wear and tear, illness, injury, diet and exercise all have an impact. Your “body age” can be greater or less that your actual age. The goal would be to have a body that is younger and healthier than your actual years.

So I ask you this – “How old is your soul?” Those of us in the public safety professions live and work in an environment that produces considerable wear and tear on the soul. We often compensate for emotional and spiritual traumatic experiences with the strength and endurance of youth. But just as we do physically, we can use up those youthful resources and wear out our souls prematurely. Often we don’t notice it until we sustain an injury and then the road to recovery is much greater.

So, “How old is your soul?” Take a look at yourself, the spiritual trauma you’ve experienced, the injuries you have sustained, the care and treatment you’ve received. Do a self assessment on your spiritual diet and exercise program. Is your soul and the spirit that occupies it younger or older than your age?

The Saturday edition of the Strib had an article titled “Choosing My Religion” in the Faith and Values section. It shared the stories of several people who had changed their religious practices. They had been brought up in a religion different from the one they now have “chosen” to practice. I was brought up an ELCA Lutheran and continue to worship at and attend an ELCA church today. However I did spend time over the years exploring different denominations as well as different cultural practices of spirituality. What I found was an appreciation for different faiths and religions, but that my spiritual comfort came from the religion I grew up with. The exploration I went through (and still continues I might add) was a confirmation of my personal faith as well as enhancement of that faith.

So here are a couple of questions to ponder:

- What, if any, is your religious/spiritual/faith identity?

- Where did your identity come from? Family, experience, friends, nature or nurture?

- Have you ever questioned that identity, explored others or if not, wondered why?

I’ve come up with a three phase process to developing your own personal spiritual fitness program: Awareness-Assessment-Application. The above questions are part of the Assessment process. Just like with a physical fitness program, spiritual fitness needs self assessment. We need to know who we are and why we are if we want to discover a program that is right for our specific personal needs.

Give these questions some thought, I’d love to hear thoughts on the subject.